Currently, there is a trend for application of late season fungicide to corn crops. The height of the corn crop during this time requires that the chemical be applied by via airplane sprayers or by self-propelled high-clearance agricultural sprayers having a ground-to-under frame clearance of about 76 inches to ensure minimal damage to crop. While there are commercially available sprayers that have the required clearance, these machines compromise stability, from a tip over standpoint, since side-to-side wheel spacing must be maintained in order to match conventional corn row spacing.
The high clearance for a known agricultural sprayer is provided by coupling elongate spindles between the main frame of the sprayer and each of four wheel support and motor housings, with each spindle being mounted for sliding in upright journal areas of knee joints, that form an integral part of an axle assembly, and with each spindle having an airbag suspension mounted to an upper end of the spindle. U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,717 discloses a high-clearance sprayer having spindles mounted in this fashion so as to provide the operating clearance.
The problem to be solved then is to provide a high-clearance sprayer vehicle which demonstrate desired stability from a tip over standpoint during the majority of the spraying season but which has sufficient clearance for applying chemicals to corn plants later in the spraying season.